A new political sci-fi drama titled Pioneer One is living up to its name by pioneering a new way of being funded and distributed. Funded entirely by public donations and distributed entirely by BitTorrent, Pioneer One is an amazing success story.
Web Video Successes
Many TV series, movies, and the creatives behind them have succeeded despite being online-only affairs. It arguably all began with LonelyGirl15, a viral Web video series which racked up millions of viewers on YouTube.
Since then we’ve had Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog directed by Joss Whedon and starring Neil Patrick Harris, the Norwegian show Nordkalotten 365, and Blank, a movie made available on DVD and torrent sites at the same time.
These are just the tip of a very large iceberg. Other ways online video has helped the creative process is getting filmmakers noticed, as with Federico Alvarez (Ataque de Panico!)and Patrick Jean (Pixels).
Pioneer One
We can now add one more success story to this burgeoning list. Pioneer One has reached its third episode despite being funded and distributed entirely online, and the people behind the innovative series hope to make it to six episodes to round out the first season.
The pilot for Pioneer One was released on the VODO platform, which promotes content released on BitTorrent sites and asks people to donate to the cause. Enough people liked the show that $30,000 was raised to continue production, and two more episodes have since been produced and released.
Writer Josh Bernhard told TorrentFreak:
“I think the idea of BitTorrent as a viable means of distributing content is really starting to break through. BitTorrent has something of a stigma, especially for people in the entertainment industry. When you say BitTorrent, I think a lot of people hear ‘piracy’ and stop listening. But between Pioneer One, Zenith and other projects adopting the same model, it’s going to become too big to dismiss.”
Conclusions
Hopefully the latest round of news coverage will help Pioneer One continue on, with the filmmakers able to raise the funds necessary to finish out the six-episode season. If it happens then it will prove once and for all that it can be done, that there is an alternative to the endless pilots and knock-backs inherent at the networks.
